Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Nanaimo, BC

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,692 a month against $2,383 in Nanaimo, BC, rent and utilities included – about $8,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
114

Cost of Living Index in Nanaimo, BC
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Nanaimo, BC Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,692

/mo nomad

Nanaimo, BC

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,383

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Nanaimo, BC

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Medellin and in Nanaimo, BC actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,692 per month in Medellin vs $2,383 in Nanaimo, BC, rent included.

Medellin $1,692
Nanaimo, BC $2,383

A couple spends around $2,471 per month in Medellin vs $3,379 in Nanaimo, BC, rent included.

Medellin $2,471
Nanaimo, BC $3,379

A family of three spends $3,249 per month in Medellin vs $4,375 in Nanaimo, BC, rent included.

Medellin $3,249
Nanaimo, BC $4,375

Medellin is about 29% cheaper than Nanaimo, BC, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Medellin and Nanaimo, BC sit above the global median – Medellin by 25%, Nanaimo, BC by 76%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.34 COP 26.8K

$17.55 CA$24.50

-52.48%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.53 COP 149.7K

$77.9 CA$109

-40.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.47 COP 30.5K

$11.35 CA$15.85

-16.56%

Cappuccino

$3.13 COP 10.1K

$3.97 CA$5.54

-21.16%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.77 COP 5,681

$2.27 CA$3.17

-22.03%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.42 COP 4,582

$1.63 CA$2.27

-12.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 COP 10.1K

$5.89 CA$8.22

-46.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.70 COP 18.3K

$5.69 CA$7.94

0.18%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.53 COP 4,930

$1.67 CA$2.33

-8.38%

White Bread (500g)

$2.29 COP 7,370

$3.32 CA$4.63

-31.02%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 COP 6,257

$3.16 CA$4.41

-38.61%

Eggs

$3.07 COP 9,864

$4.24 CA$5.92

-27.59%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.99 COP 32.1K

$11.51 CA$16.07

-13.21%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 COP 33.6K

$13.86 CA$19.34

-24.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.96 COP 44.9K

$17.38 CA$24.26

-19.68%

Apples (1kg)

$4.05 COP 13.0K

$4.30 CA$6.00

-5.81%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,916

$1.29 CA$1.81

18.60%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.10 COP 6,769

$4.43 CA$6.19

-52.60%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.29 COP 7,378

$5.78 CA$8.06

-60.38%

Potato (1kg)

$2.11 COP 6,785

$2.41 CA$3.36

-12.45%

Onion (1kg)

$1.71 COP 5,498

$2.85 CA$3.98

-40.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 COP 3,764

$2.82 CA$3.94

-58.51%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 COP 5,083

$2.31 CA$3.23

-31.60%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.91 COP 12.6K

$14.51 CA$20.25

-73.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.04 COP 45.2K

$14.04 CA$19.60

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 COP 5,667

$2.55 CA$3.56

-30.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 COP 8,724

$2.64 CA$3.69

2.65%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.18 COP 3,795

$1.95 CA$2.72

-39.49%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.3 COP 245.4K

$46.89 CA$65.5

62.70%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 COP 5,812

$2.83 CA$3.95

-36.04%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.13 COP 6,849

$1.94 CA$2.71

9.79%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.13 COP 26.2K

$36.00 CA$50.3

-77.42%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 COP 4,102

$1.34 CA$1.87

-4.48%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$34.4K COP 110.8M

$26.0K CA$36.3K

32.53%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$34.1K COP 109.8M

$21.0K CA$29.3K

62.65%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$178 COP 571.7K

$149 CA$208

19.33%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$13.89 COP 44.7K

$40.43 CA$56.4

-65.64%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.74 COP 98.9K

$66.5 CA$92.8

-53.76%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.94 COP 134.9K

$25.98 CA$36.27

61.43%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.80 COP 54.0K

$19.63 CA$27.40

-14.42%

Cinema Ticket

$7.47 COP 24.0K

$10.98 CA$15.32

-31.97%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$790 COP 2.5M

$699 CA$976

13.03%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.3K COP 39.6M

$15.1K CA$21.1K

-18.46%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.3 COP 277.7K

$50.2 CA$70.0

72.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.3 COP 190.6K

$33.30 CA$46.48

77.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$138 COP 445.0K

$99.5 CA$139

39.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.8 COP 317.8K

$113 CA$158

-12.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,341 COP 4.3M

$1,445 CA$2,017

-7.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$667 COP 2.1M

$1,191 CA$1,663

-43.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,976 COP 6.4M

$2,060 CA$2,876

-4.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,033 COP 3.3M

$1,639 CA$2,288

-36.98%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,098 COP 13.2M

$3,800 CA$5,305

7.83%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,940 COP 6.2M

$3,417 CA$4,769

-43.22%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$646 COP 2.1M

$3,169 CA$4,424

-79.61%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

4.72

131.78%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Medellin: November 2, 2026

Last update for Nanaimo, BC: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$667 39.4%

Nanaimo, BC

$1.2K 50% 78.5% $524

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$307 18.2%

Nanaimo, BC

$409 17.2% 33.2% $102

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$222 13.1%

Nanaimo, BC

$256 10.7% 15.1% $34

Eating Out

Medellin

$173 10.2%

Nanaimo, BC

$279 11.7% 61.4% $106

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$172 10.2%

Nanaimo, BC

$133 5.6% 22.7% $39

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.5%

Nanaimo, BC

$67 2.8% 28.1% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$57 3.4%

Nanaimo, BC

$48 2% 15.7% $9

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,341 in Medellin versus $1,445 in Nanaimo, BC. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Nanaimo, BC are about 4.9 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin versus $78 in Nanaimo, BC. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $307 vs $409 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇨🇦 Nanaimo, BC

🕒 Local time

11:00 11:00 AM

09:00 9:00 AM

2 h behind Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

90,504

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.11 USD

10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR

1 CAD = 0.716 USD

1 CAD = 0.638 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CAD, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 3,217 COP (10,000 COP = 3.11 USD). 1 EUR = 3,615 COP (10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 1.4 CAD (1 CAD = 0.716 USD). 1 EUR = 1.57 CAD (1 CAD = 0.638 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Medellin Nanaimo, BC 6,570 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Nanaimo, BC

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Medellin vs Nanaimo, BC: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Nanaimo, BC is pricier by about 41%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,538 per month in Medellin and $3,575 in Nanaimo, BC. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $1,341 in Medellin and $1,445 in Nanaimo, BC. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $78 in Nanaimo, BC. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,692 in Medellin and $2,383 in Nanaimo, BC. That makes Medellin about 29% cheaper.

It depends on your priorities. Medellin has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,692 in Medellin to $2,383 in Nanaimo, BC. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Medellin. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Nanaimo, BC makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.